Former NBA star Tom Chambers stands at 6-foot-10 and is pushing 250 pounds at his relatively advanced age.
A physical force during his playing days, we’re now left wondering why some 22-year-old dude in Arizona decided to go at Chambers during a recent trip to a bar.
According to TMZ Sports, that’s exactly what a man by the name of Alexander Bergelt did. Likely with the help of some liquid courage, Bergelt decided that he was going to mock the now 59-year-old Chambers at Isabella’s Kitchen in Scottsdale this past April.
The end result? Chambers himself went after Bergelt and was ultimately charged with assault. Meanwhile, the former NBAer’s counterpart was charged with disorderly conduct.
One might ask what led to the confrontation.
“You’re not sh*t,” “You’re tall and scrawny” and “Look at your big head,” Bergelt told Chambers, according to patrons at the establishment. “Your mom should have killed you when you came out of the womb as ugly as you are, your arms are skinny, your chest is this. Your belly is big.”
Well, that’s a nice way to get into a fight with a man that towers over you and went up against the likes of Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing during his career.
But we digress.
Chambers reportedly told police that he did lay a hand on the “victim,” but didn’t throw any punches. Meanwhile, Bergelt claims that the four-time All-Star grabbed him by the throat and threw him backwards. Marks on his neck seem to back up the story.
The most interesting aspect of this incident? Bergelt didn’t want to press charges. Instead, he asked for an apology, one that Chambers was not willing to provide.
The moral of the story? Don’t head to a bar and talk crap to a man that could break you in half. And if you are the said man, just walk away.